Breakout Session: Writing Rhythm and Rhyme with Tameka Fryer Brown

Tameka Fyer Brown is a picture book author who writes to sow seeds of self-love, pride, connectivity, and inclusion in the hearts of children. Her books have won awards like the Charlotte Huck Honor Award, the Charlotte Zolotow Honor Award, and the Jane Addams Children's Book Honor Award. They have also been featured on best book lists by NPR, Parents Latina Magazine, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, New York Public Library, Kirkus, SLJ, Bank Street College, The Little Free Library, and more. Tameka’s picture books include Brown Baby Lullaby, Twelve Dinging Doorbells, Not Done Yet: Shirley Chisholm’s Fight for Change, and That Flag. She is a member of The Brown Bookshelf, Writers and Illustrators of North Carolina (WINC), and KidLit in Color.

Tameka Fryer Brown with her current picture books

Tameka offers inspiration: 

Anyone can learn to write picture books well, as long as you're willing to read lots and lots of mentor texts, and write about what you're passionate about.

Tameka thinks of rhythm as "the beat."

Rhythm + Rhyme = Flow

Flow is when folks see the PB as Lyrical, Evocative, Tight

To do this well, Tameka advises we need:

A consistent pattern of beats all through your manuscript. (except variations that are intentional and purposeful.)

Mellifluous language

Great read aloud

There will always be demand for rhyming picture books -- rhyme is good for kids learning how to read because of its predictive nature.

Make sure every single word and line moves the story forward, is clear, concise, and sensory-rich. (Don't rhyme just to rhyme.)

On Rhythm, 

Tameka reads us from her Brown Baby Lullaby, walking us through how we can "Check Your Flow":

Read it aloud

Tap it out

Natural Pronunciation (no cheating and making POPcorn popCORN)

Varied Emphasis

Tameka references music, talking about refrains and codas, and sharing tips and examples. (Like italicizing a word to make the cadence, emphasis, and meaning work.)

A caution: copy edits can change the rhythm. Tameka reminds us we can say STET (meaning keep it as is): "You get poetic license when you're writing in poetry."

There's so much more shared, and a Q&A - what a great session!